LONDON: Hollywood actress and socialite Paris Hilton has sparked outrage in the Middle East by opening a new shop in the Muslim holy city of Makkah.
Many took to Twitter to say Hilton, who once starred in a sex video that went viral on the internet, was ‘insulting Mecca’ – a key site for the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims – by opening the branch in Mecca Mall situated adjacent to holy Kaba, facing which Muslims around the world pray five times a day.
They tweeted in their hundreds to attack the celebrity entrepreneur, with some saying it was an ‘affront’ to the ‘principal sanctuary’ of Islam, according to Al Arabiya.
One person replied to her message, in which she announced the official opening on her Twitter feed last Thursday, by saying: ‘R u kidding?’.
Another added: ‘Saudi claim there are other ways to allow for pilgrims, & if religiosity is of such importance, why is @ParisHilton being allowed a store in Mecca?’
A third person questioned Hiltons style of products by saying: ‘Thats it? Thats why ppl are not buying it? Not coz she is a porn star who happens to be rich enough to have her own brand and open it in Mecca?’
Another tweeted: ‘How can someone who made such a video open a store in the holy city next to the Grand Mosque?’ And a further added: ‘It is not acceptable to have such a woman open her store here.’
But the 31-year-old remained undeterred by the comments and tweeted a picture of the store alongside the message: ‘Loving my beautiful new store that just opened at Mecca Mall in Saudi Arabia!’
And she later said: ‘This is the 5th store in Saudi Arabia, and store number 42 in total! So proud to keep growing my brand!
Not all comments about the opening were negative, however, Al Arabiya reports.
One said: ‘Why the attack? This is a global brand found everywhere, whether it was in an Arab country or a European one.’
And another added: ‘Simply put, those who see this is a Western invasion of the Arab world shouldnt be buying nor marketing their products.
‘But to reject this concept and at the same time, buy all European and Western products is completely hypocritical.’
